1 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.

2 And he wrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made.

3 Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.

4 And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool.

5 But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.

6 And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all Israel.

7 And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.

8 And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom.

9 So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them.

10 And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!

11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may enquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.

12 And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the LORD is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.

13 And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab.

14 And Elisha said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.

15 But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.

16 And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches.

17 For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.

18 And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.

19 And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.

20 And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.

21 And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered all that were able to put on armour, and upward, and stood in the border.

22 And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood:

23 And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.

24 And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country.

25 And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.

26 And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords, to break through even unto the king of Edom: but they could not.

27 Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.

1 Now Iehoram the sonne of Ahab began to reigne ouer Israel in Samaria, the eighteenth yere of Iehoshaphat king of Iudah, and reigned twelue yeeres.

2 And he wrought euill in the sight of the Lord, but not like his father and like his mother; for hee put away the image of Baal that his father had made.

3 Neuerthelesse, hee cleaued vnto the sinnes of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat, which made Israel to sinne; he departed not therefrom.

4 And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepe-master, and rendred vnto the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambes, and an hundred thousand rammes, with the wooll.

5 But it came to passe when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.

6 And king Iehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbred all Israel.

7 And he went, and sent to Iehoshaphat the King of Iudah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against mee: Wilt thou goe with mee against Moab to battell? and he said, I will goe vp: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.

8 And he said, Which way shall we goe vp? And he answered, The way through the wildernesse of Edom.

9 So the king of Israel went, and the king of Iudah, and the king of Edom: and they fetcht a compasse of seuen dayes iourney: and there was no water for the hoste, and for the cattell that followed them.

10 And the king of Israel said, Alas, that the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliuer them into the hand of Moab.

11 But Iehoshaphat said, Is there not here a Prophet of the Lord, that we may enquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israels seruants answered, and said, Here is Elisha the sonne of Shaphat, which powred water on the hands of Eliiah.

12 And Iehoshaphat saide, The word of the Lord is with him. So the king of Israel, & Iehoshaphat, and the king of Edom went downe to him.

13 And Elisha saide vnto the king of Israel, What haue I to doe with thee? Get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said vnto him, Nay: for the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliuer them into the hand of Moab.

14 And Elisha said, As the Lord of hostes liueth, before whom I stand, Surely were it not that I regard the presence of Iehoshaphat the King of Iudah, I would not looke toward thee, nor see thee.

15 But now bring me a minstrell. And it came to passe when the minstrell played, that the hand of the Lord came vpon him.

16 And hee sayde, Thus sayth the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches.

17 For thus sayth the Lord, Yee shall not see winde, neither shall ye see raine, yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drinke, both ye, and your cattell, and your beasts.

18 And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord, he will deliuer the Moabites also into your hand.

19 And ye shall smite euery fenced citie, and euery choice citie, and shall fell euery good tree, and stop all welles of water, and marre euery good piece of land with stones.

20 And it came to passe in the morning when the meate offering was offered, that behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the countrey was filled with water.

21 And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come vp to fight against them, they gathered all that were able to put on armour, and vpward, and stood in the border.

22 And they rose vp early in the morning, and the Sunne shone vpon the water, and the Moabites sawe the water on the other side as red as blood.

23 And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slaine, and they haue smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoile.

24 And when they came to the campe of Israel, the Israelites rose vp and smote the Moabites, so that they fledde before them: but they went forward smiting the Moabites, euen in their countrey.

25 And they beat downe the cities, and on euery good piece of land cast euery man his stone, and filled it, and they stopped all the welles of water, and felled all the good trees: onely in Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof: howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.

26 And when the king of Moab sawe that the battell was too sore for him, he tooke with him seuen hundred men that drewe swordes, to breake thorow euen vnto the king of Edom: but they could not.

27 Then hee tooke his eldest sonne that should haue reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering vpon the wall: and there was great indignation against Israel, and they departed from him, and returned to their owne land.

I == 2nd Kings 1:17

 

 

II == 1st Kings 18:31-32

 

 

III == 1st Kings 12:28 , 31-32

 

 

IV == Isa 16:1

 

 

V == 2nd Kings 1:1

 

 

 

 

VII == 1st Kings 22:4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IX == Ex 11:8

 

 

 

 

 

 

XI == 1st Kings 22:7

 

 

 

 

XII == 2nd Kiings 2:25

 

 

XIII == Judg 10:14 ; Ruth 1:15 ; 1st Kings 18:19 ;Ezek 14:3

 

 

XIV == 1st Kings 17:1 ; 2nd Kings 5:16

 

 

 

XV == 1st Sam 10:5 ; Ezek 1:3 ; 3:14 , 22 ; 8:1

 

XVI == 2nd Kings 4:3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXV == Isa 16:7 , 11

1 Joram, son of Ahab, became king of Israel in Samaria (in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and he reigned for twelve years).

2 He did evil in the LORD'S sight, though not as much as his father and mother. He did away with the pillar of Baal, which his father had made,

3 but he still clung to the sin to which Jeroboam, son of Nebat, had lured Israel; this he did not give up.

4 Now Mesha, king of Moab, who raised sheep, used to pay the king of Israel as tribute a hundred thousand lambs and the wool of a hundred thousand rams.

5 But when Ahab died, the king of Moab had rebelled against the king of Israel.

6 Joram as king mustered all Israel, and when he set out on a campaign from Samaria,

7 he sent the king of Judah the message: "The king of Moab is in rebellion against me. Will you join me in battle against Moab?" "I will," he replied. "You and I shall be as one, your people and mine, and your horses and mine as well."

8 They discussed the route for their attack, and settled upon the route through the desert of Edom.

9 So the king of Israel set out, accompanied by the king of Judah and the king of Edom. After their roundabout journey of seven days the water gave out for the army and for the animals with them.

10 "Alas!" exclaimed the king of Israel. "The LORD has called together these three kings to put them in the grasp of Moab."

11 But the king of Judah asked, "Is there no prophet of the LORD here through whom we may inquire of the LORD?" One of the officers of the king of Israel replied, "Elisha, son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah, is here."

12 "He has the word of the LORD," the king of Judah agreed. So the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom went down to Elisha.

13 "What do you want with me?" Elisha asked the king of Israel. "Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother." "No," the king of Israel replied. "The LORD has called these three kings together to put them in the grasp of Moab."

14 Then Elisha said, "As the LORD of hosts lives, whom I serve, were it not that I respect the king of Judah, I should neither look at you nor notice you at all.

15 Now get me a minstrel." When the minstrel played, the power of the LORD came upon Elisha

16 and he announced: "Thus says the LORD, 'Provide many catch basins in this wadi.'

17 For the LORD says, 'Though you will see neither wind nor rain, yet this wadi will be filled with water for you, your livestock, and your pack animals to drink.'

18 And since the LORD does not consider this enough, he will also deliver Moab into your grasp.

19 You shall destroy every fortified city, fell every fruit tree, stop up all the springs, and ruin every fertile field with stones."

20 In the morning, at the time of the sacrifice, water came from the direction of Edom and filled the land.

21 Meanwhile, all Moab heard that the kings had come to give them battle; every man capable of bearing arms was called up and stationed at the border.

22 Early that morning, when the sun shone on the water, the Moabites saw the water at a distance as red as blood.

23 "This is blood!" they exclaimed. "The kings have fought among themselves and killed one another. Quick! To the spoils, Moabites!"

24 But when they reached the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and attacked the Moabites, who fled from them. They ranged through the countryside striking down the Moabites, and

25 destroying the cities; each of them cast stones onto every fertile field till they had loaded it down; all the springs they stopped up and every useful tree they felled. Finally only Kir-hareseth was left behind its stone walls, and the slingers had surrounded it and were attacking it.

26 When he saw that he was losing the battle, the king of Moab took seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Aram, but he failed.

27 So he took his first-born, his heir apparent, and offered him as a holocaust upon the wall. The wrath against Israel was so great that they gave up the siege and returned to their own land.

 

v 1-3. Jehoram was evil, but not as bad as his father and mother, Ahab and Jezebel. He put down the image of Baal which his father had made, but continued in a degree of Baal worship and other sins.

v 4,5. The secular “Moabite Stone” indicates that Omri was a strong king and had fought and defeated Moab. Ahab was also strong,  but Moab apparently felt they could rebel when Ahaziah took the throne, 1:1. This rebellion may have been ineffective and Moab is rebelling again against Jehoram by not paying their levy of lambs and rams which they had promised to Omri.

v 6-8. Jehoram decided to enforce the payment, but the north of Moab was heavily fortified, so he chose to go through Judah and Edom and attack from the south. Jehoshaphat unwisely agreed to go with him, perhaps another result of the marriage of his son with Ahab’s daughter, 2 Chr. 21:6.

v 9-12. Edom was subject to Judah at this time, so both nations joined the king of Israel. They ran out of water, one reason the south of Moab was less fortified, and Jehoram thought they would have to surrender to Moab for survival. However it was told Jehoshaphat that Elisha was in the area to call upon. He would not have been with the armies, but God arranged for him to be in the area at just the right time. Pouring water over hands is the method of washing there yet today.

v13-15. Elisha taunted Jehoram that he should be calling on his false gods, but he pled his desperate situation. Because of his wickedness, Elisha only talked to him out of respect for Jehoshaphat. Music soothes the soul and is an aid to worship. David played to calm Saul, and he composed many psalms for his own benefit.

v 16-20. Jehoram was commanded to dig ditches and they would fill with water without him knowing about rain, to show him it was an easy thiE ng from God. Moab had also been wicked, so the Lord used these ruthless measures as judgment upon it.

v 21-25. God could have simply filled the ditches, but more likely, He caused rain in the highlands to the south which flooded the area. I experienced this as a child when Grand River started running in after a long dry spell. The neighbors I told thought I was lying, but next morning it was overflowing. God caused sunrise to make the water appear blood, so the quickly assembled Moabites rushed in for the spoils. They no doubt assumed the armies had killed each other as they had done, 2 Chr. 20:23. The combined armies smote and pursued Moab, reeking destruction as the Lord had commanded. The slingers smote the fortified capitol in preparation for general assault.

v 26,27. The king of Moab tried a counterattack with 700 chosen men against the mercenary soldiers of Edom, but was unsuccessful. In an attempt to appease his false gods, whom he assumed had allowed this defeat, he offered his own son, the future ruler, as a burnt offering on the wall. This was so repugnant to Judah and Edom that they ceased battle and all returned to their own land. The king of Moab claimed on the Moabite Stone that he won the battle, but the truth was that the others just quit fighting him, and that is what spared the city.